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Yesterday, a reader asked about where they can buy a USA-made adjustable wrench in 4″ size.

Oh boy. That’s a tough question.

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I have one, a Craftsman wrench that I bought a few years ago, but I could almost guarantee that you won’t be able to find that same tool today. I also have an Irega-made Channellock wrench, 4.5″ long, but it’s made in Spain, and not the USA.

There is a Crescent 4″ wrench, but recent online user reviews complain about the wrench now being made in China.

So, that leaves Proto, specifically the Proto J704, with a satin finish, and J704S with a black oxide finish.

There might be others, but 4″ adjustable wrenches are incredibly hard to find. My Channellock has a 1/2″ jaw capacity, which is useful, but only for certain tasks.

If you know of another USA-made 4″ adjustable wrench, please let us know! Ridgid, for example, only goes down to 6″.

If you’re not set on a USA-made wrench, I really like Channellock’s adjustable wrenches. Their 804 wrench is small, and it feels a little coarser than their other Irega-made wrenches, but I consider it to have the perfect balance between size and function.

It’s a good wrench for EDC – for stowing in a daily work or tool bag, or anywhere else. It comes in handy for small stuff, and you have a chance at getting something done when your main tools are somewhere else.

The total jaw capacity is actually around 5/8″, and so it’s more useful than online specs might suggest. It’s also a little shorter than 4.5″, too.

The Wright looked very familiar, so I looked a little closer. Made in Spain. I also see a different version of the Wright online. It’s impossible to know which you get, as they appear to have the same model numbers.

If the current version is made in Spain, the Channellock one is a few dollars cheaper.

“All Wright-manufactured products are U.S. made and carry lifetime guarantees against defects in workmanship. Cougar Pro branded tools are made in Taiwan, and also carry a lifetime warranty against manufacturer defects.”

Yes I saw the verbiage more clearly after posting it. English is a marvelous language for those who wish to obfuscate or bend the truth. Sort of like the use of the phrase “on sale” – which can denote that the price has be lowered – or just that the item is being offered for sale at whatever price.

About a year ago I was in Harry Epstein’s browsing and according to them all US made adjustable wrenches are now made by Western Forge. My suggestion would be to buy whichever one is cheapest. Unless it’s old stock regardless of the brand stamped on the side, it was made in the same place.

I like the smaller 7 inch knipex pliers wrench in place of a small adjustable for almost every situation. The channellock/irega “wide azz” adjustable is another really nice choice, it opens a little over 1 1/2″ with a short handle.

Knipex makes a 5″ and 6″ Pliers Wrench as well. The 5″ one looks like a toy but is surprisingly capable. I keep one, plus a 5″ Cobra Wrench, in the little “stuff I frequently wish I had” pouch that I carry in my work bag.

I thought all adjustable wrenches had the hammer side? Just kidding. I used to use my adj wrenches as a hammer when I was young but stopped when I became a tool nut. Boy have I been tempted to do so over the years. I ended up getting some hammerhead wrenches several years ago so I could do so with good conscience. They are my goto adj wrenches. I rarely find myself needing one without the hammer profile.

You might still find some USA-made Armstrong 4 in. adjustable wrenches. They are of the proper small 4 in. configuration.
Some Western Forge made 4 in. ones like Wright, SK, Proto and some other have a 6 in. head but a 4 in. handle and 9/16 in jaw capacity. They are well made but no good for work in confined spaces.
They are shown in all websites as the “normal” type but what you will get is the big headed contraption. I have been fooled four times!

Made in Japan – NOT USA – but Engineer tools (used to be Futaba Tool) makes some diminutive adjustable wrenches. They seem to specialize in ones with thin jaws that are useful for jam nuts and locknuts on switches and other electronic components.

I never understood the need for USA made tool. Yes it’s nice, but why spend twice as much when there are a lot of grest tools out there that perform just as well. Gearwrench is a great line and never been disappointed with them.

Because people don’t like spending their hard earned money to support companies that outsource american jobs to make a buck. If the only thing you’re looking at is the tool, then sure, buy whatever you like to use.

Encouraging domestic production benefits the domestic economy. Have you ever heard of “buying local?” It’s the same effect, but on a more macro scale. Of course, one could also argue against some foreign production due to politics, environmental concerns, and labor condition issues. Here in the states we pass laws to benefit our workers and environment, but discourage those same benefits to foreign workers by buying low priced goods produced there.

Lots of reasons. Supporting our local businesses is a big one. I also find that, on the whole, they tend to be of higher quality. For instance, I have some DeWalt drill bits around the garage. They cut soft material just fine. But metal? Not a hope. On the other hand, my USA-made drills cut through everything I throw at them. Sure, they were more expensive, but the price was worth it when I needed to drill through steel square tube.

Likewise, when I didn’t have as much disposable income, I bought a cheap set of pliers made overseas. They lasted a week before the soft “steel” cracked. On the other hand, my Channellocks could be used as a hammer without concern. So much stronger and better made. For me, worth every penny I paid.

I’ve tried the other way, and sometimes it works out. But if I can afford it and it’s a tool I use often, I’ve never been let down by a USA-made tool.

I’ve also had a great experiences with Spanish (Grip-on, Irega), French (Facom) and Swedish (Bahco) tools. But I’ve slowly upgraded most of my hand tools to USA stuff because I trust them and feel the quality justifies the price.

Williams ab-4a USA, 4″…wright tool is USA made,call them…9aco4-4…I prefer Bahco 8069…Spain….USA made products should be bought first, but in the event it can’t be ,get EU as long as it’s not Chinese crap…
Support your country

Wright adjustable wrenches were briefly made in Spain from 2009-2010 I think then western forge started making them again, there’s a Wright tool employee on GJ that confirmed as much, the Spanish made wrench images are from that period

Being that everything these days are being manufactured with global and domestic products, it really doesn’t matter where adjustable wrenches are made because there’s 40 different companies that make them which should have never been the case in manufacturing products such as this. Just about every American founded company that had their products manufactured here no longer has concern for the American economy. And most of the companies that still manufacture their products here in the US import the materials to make their products from somewhere else. So out of those 40 companies that make wrenches you might find 11 out of those 40 that were forged & manufactured here with imported materials and 4 out of those 40 that are actually USA made from USA mill steel & maybe one that’s actually worth a shit. Unfortunately if it’s made here it comes from scrap metal. Nobody has yet to engineer an adjustable wrench correctly in the history of its production except for Stanley’s locking adjustable wrench. Anyways, It’s a good thing to support our domestic products, but our domestic stores don’t sell them. And if they do, there seems to be a premium added to the cost just because it’s made in the USA and has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the tool. Great example of this is Klein tools & domestic automotive tools manufacturers. Many USA made brands exploit their products to cost more because %90 of their competitors products are foreign made. Again, it’s not because of the quality of the product. USA made doesn’t mean that it’s not inferior quality by any means. It’s very likely that the premium you’re paying for a USA made wrench has very little to do with a higher quality than the Made In The USA stamp that’s on it. The high price of exploitation is what you’re paying for. Especially for something like an adjustable wrench. There’s plenty of stuff that’s made in the USA that is crap. If the steel used to forge these tools here in the US is imported from Japan or China is it still considered to be made in the USA? They make a lot more steel than we do.

I just bought a Sears Craftsman adjustable wrench number 44602 6 inch. It was made in China. So goes the made in USA Craftsman wrench. In case anybody is wondering, this is not the Craftsman Evolv brand.